Golden retrievers are one of the most popular dog breeds. Known to be gentle, kind, and easy to handle, golden retrievers top the ranks of dog breeds being bought or adopted by home owners. A lovable and calm breed, it is rare to see golden retriever aggression… this is why parents opt to have this breed with their kids over other more aggressive dogs. Sometimes though, there are exceptions to the normal. You may be able to find and see a little bit of an aggressive side to your goldens, but don’t worry this may be corrected.
Before you can correct golden retriever aggression, you need to find out the reason for the snaring, teeth exposure, growling, and barking. Here are the 3 most common reasons for a dog’s aggressive behavior:
- Past Experience – before you got your puppy or dog, there could have been events in his life that made him realize that aggressive behavior is necessary for his survival. He might have been attacked by another dog in the past or he could have been scared by another dog.
- Rank Drive – rank drive runs within a dog pack. This is how it is in the wild, dogs have rankings and every dog would naturally want to be at the top of the rank. Your dog’s aggression could be brought about by his want to be in a higher level in the pack. If your dog for example targets a certain family member and is only aggressive towards that family member, he could be seeing that family member as someone beneath him in ranking. Correct this behavior right away.
- Prey Drive – this is brought about by instinct. Barking, snaring, chasing or even killing other animals are done by dogs mostly because of instinct. A dog’s prey drive may be dangerous and may even be considered a nuisance in your neighborhood, so make sure to take notice and to take immediate action.
Correct golden retriever aggression by showing your dog that you are the pack leader. Do this by making sure to correct wrong behavior right away, ALL THE TIME. When your dog starts to bark at neighbors or a family member, tell him “no” or “stop”, let your dog know that barking is not a permitted action. If dog aggression starts to become a habit and a nuisance, think about enrolling your dog into an obedience training course. Research on good trainers in your area, get references, ask questions on training methods, and then put your dog in a course. This way you are assured to have an obedient dog all the time.
Tags: Dog Training Tips, Golden Retriever Agression, Train A Golden Retriever
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